Kissed by the Baddest Bidder - Break the Code
by ElixianDreamer
Summary: These stories begin as one game and collide into a crossover not only with each other, but with reality. Prepare to be swept up in a battle of wits, a void of darkness, and an elixir of charm, as the Voltage characters you know and love, break the code once and for all. The characters in the game are sweet because it's a romance. Mine are not, so it's rated M for darkness.
1. Episode One - Ota

**Episode One**

"O-Ota..." I close my eyes as he runs his fingers through my hair, his voice as soft as velvet in my ear. "Yes Koro?" A shy smile crosses my lips, and I'm about to speak again when Eisuke walks in, a smirk appearing on his face when he sees us. Ota's soft demeanour changes to a more serious one, and he quickly finishes fixing up my hair, before getting up and walking over to the man.

"Do you need me for something?" Ever the angel, he keeps his innocent smile on even for Eisuke and the others. "Just wondered if you'd be interested in this." Eisuke replies, as he passes a bunch of what look like tickets, to Ota. After a small pause, Eisuke smirks at me again, and then walks away, and Ota begins flicking through the tickets. "What are they?" I call to him, noticing the scowl with regret as he looks up. "Nothing to do with you. Pets don't get to ask questions." I sigh in defeat. So nothing changes, I'm still a pet in his eyes. Not that I'm complaining, Ota never does anything sexual to me, and guarantee I would have been abused by the other man in the auction, but it still hurts a little. Seeing the flicker of sadness in my eyes, he sits in front of me on the couch again, and pets my head, lightly, as not to mess up my hair.

"They're counterfeit. It's worth nothing anyway."  
He states, brushing a lock of his hair out of his eyes with his fingers, before discarding the tickets into the bin.  
"Ota..." I try again, seeing as we're alone, and that scowl has faded. "I..." He cuts over me with a teasing smile. "Want to go for walkies?" I cry out in frustration, causing him to look up, slightly stunned. "Kyaah! I don't want to be your pet anymore!" The surprise turns to hurt, and the hurt turns to anger. The teasing smile returns, but his eyes are dark, and unreadable. "Well then." He says quietly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to my feet. I try to tug against him as he starts walking towards his room, but he's too strong.  
"O-Ota!" I whimper, starting to panic as we go inside his room and he sits on the bed, pulling me down with him.

"Pets need to know their place, Koro." He whispers in my ear before giving my earlobe a gentle nip, his fingers trailing down my sides before moving up to unbutton my blouse. His eyes are still angry when I dare to look up at him, the honey irises glittering with lust as he tugs my blouse from my shoulders, quickly removing his own clothes, then the rest of mine. My fear starts to melt away as his toned chest comes into view, then the buckle of his belt lightly touches my knee as he crouches over me, looking down with a certain sadness in his eyes.

"You've upset your Master, Koro." He says quietly, his eyes searching mine, and my heart tightens with guilt. A lock of his hair falls over his eyes, and unthinking, I reach out to brush it away. "I... I'm sorry." I reply sadly, then gasp as he grabs my wrist, pinning it to my side. "You are mine, Tasha. I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to wag your tail for anyone else."

He kisses me softly on the lips, and I feel shock wash over me. He used my name. For the first time ever, even though it's taken four months, he finally used my name.  
The sadness within his eyes fades, and that naughty teasing smile returns as he leans down and nuzzles my neck, my heart beating frantically in my chest as he kisses me again, using his tongue to part my lips, sliding his tongue along mine, caressing it softly. I close my eyes, starting to relax again, and his fingers move down my thigh, between my legs, his thumb lightly brushes against my sensitive place, and I let out a soft gasp. "From now on Koro..." Ota breathes in my ear, his breath tickling my cheek as he traces his finger in circles on my skin, teasing me. "You'll call me Master."

I blush deeply, pink flooding my complexion, and I'm about to object, when he slides just his fingertip inside me, eliciting a soft moan from my parted lips. "Do you understand?" My soft brown eyes meet his liquid amber ones, and he stares back at me unsmiling, as I manage to whisper. "Y-yes." He smiles, retracting his fingertip from me, returning to tracing circles.  
"Yes, what?" He asks, his gaze penetrating me, "Y-yes M-Master." I manage to stutter in reply, my cheeks heated, stained with crimson. His light smiles returns as he praises me. "Good girl." He purrs in my ear, his warm breath tickling my sensitive skin, then he pushes that finger back inside me, as deep as it can go, as slowly as he can, drawing out the sensation for as long as possible before stopping.

"Ready, Koro?"

**To be continued...**

**(A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. As you can see, it doesn't follow the storyline of the game, but I'm willing to take requests on how it continues ^^)**


	2. Episode Two - Ota

**Episode Two**

I close my eyes tightly, even Ota's soft velvet voice in my ear doing little to soothe me. Then I hear a door creak open. "Aw man! Why did no-one invite me to the party?" A familiar voice causes Ota to scowl, and he pulls his finger away, growling softly before replacing his anger with the trademark angel smile, turning away from me. "What do you want Baba?" He asks softly, one hand still firmly keeping me pinned. Baba looks straight past him, and winks at me. "Hey pretty lady. Is Ota being mean to you?" I blush a deep crimson, then quickly yank the sheets up to cover myself. Ota seems to be cussing under his breath about a broken lock, and I can feel Baba trying to undress me with his eyes.

"I-I'm fine." I say shakily, and Ota's grip on my wrist tightens under the covers. "P-please leave, Baba." He pouts playfully, grinning at me. "But I just got here!" He protests. Ota pulls a gown from the wardrobe and dresses, standing up, finally releasing me. "I think Eisuke wanted to talk to you about something anyway." I can hear the anger in his voice threatening to break through, but he hides it well. Baba nods once, and touches the brim of his hat. "Until next time, pretty lady." He smiles, and leaves.

I turn to Ota, reaching to take his hand as I go to stand up too, but then blush deeply, realising I'm still very naked. Ota tosses me a gown without even looking in my direction, and I pull it on, then get up slowly, watching him walk into the other room and settle on the couch."Are you okay Ota?"  
I ask cautiously, settling at his feet. "Koro." He says sternly. I quickly rephrase my question, growing irritated with the fact I have to keep calling him that.

"Are you okay Master?" He looks down at me, scowling. "You were wagging your tail for someone else." I look shocked, his golden eyes iced. "I was not!" I protest, praying for anything to change his mind, for him to give me that angelic smile, however fake. But he's closed off from me now."Stay." Ota orders, getting up to go back into the bedroom. He emerges moments later, dressed, and still scowling. Without a glance in my direction, he heads for the door. "Where are you going?" My voice is too high, and I sound panicked, but I don't care. "My studio." He responds in monotone."Don't follow."

Then he's gone, and I'm left alone, on the floor, with my head in my hands, wondering how it all went so wrong. I want to go after him, but rule one stops me. Always obey your Master, and my Master told me to stay. The door opens again about ten minutes later, and I look up. "Ota?!"  
The figure smiles, removing his hat.

"Hey pretty lady."

**To be continued...**


	3. Episode Three - Ota

**Episode three**

"Baba?" I stand up, pulling the cord of my gown closed, and look at him uneasily. "Ota's not here." I tell him, and his smile widens. "I know, I saw him storm out. He should treat a lady with more respect." Baba settles on the couch in Ota's place, and I don't exactly know what to do, so I just stand near the couch awkwardly. "So what are you doing here?" I ask, worried that Ota will return and get the wrong idea. "I came to see if you were okay. Did you two break up?" Baba's smile seems out of place considering his question, but maybe I shouldn't be too worried, as, even for a thief, he is quite gentlemanly.

"No... I...I don't know. He seemed to think that..." Baba smiles gently, motioning for me to sit beside him, but I politely and silently refuse. "He thinks that?" He presses, and then realises and winks at me for the second time today. "Oh, I see. Thinks we have something going on, hm?" I nod, a blush of crimson staining my cheeks. "Well, I must say I'm honoured." I look at him in shock. "But we have to tell him he's wrong!" A smile plays on Baba's lips, his eyes sparkling as he looks me up and down, seeing through the gown, making me shiver, but with something other than disgust. Fear perhaps. "You know Ota will never admit that he's wrong." I nod, knowing he's right, but I can't bear to let my Master think I betrayed him.

The door opens again, and we both look up to see The King walk in. "Hello Eisuke." I say calmly, not wanting to risk ignoring him. This time though, he ignores me, speaking directly to Baba. "Has the loyal doggy finally got herself a new Master?" Baba shakes his head, almost regretfully. "Ota has left her, thinking she has something going with me."

"You wish."  
Another voice cut in, and I looked up once more, trying to mask my horror at the amount of men appearing in Ota's room. "Detective Kishi! Could you help me find Ota?" He puffs silently on his cigarette, and looks thoughtful. "The kid shouldn't be found, in my opinion. He'll return in his own time, in the meantime..." A final voice joins the buzz of the room as the leader of the Ice Dragons joins us. "He obviously doesn't care about her that much if he's left her alone." Soryu's voice is the coolest, and he sounds the most amused. "So..." Eisuke adds, with a wicked smile, "Seeing as I bought her originally, her ownership temporarily passes to me."

I stare at him in sheer, unmasked horror. "B-but..." Eisuke glares at me, his eyes filled with lust. "No-one gave you permission to speak. So don't." Baba sees me start to crumble, and starts to protest on my behalf, as the men encircle me, closing in. "Guys? Have a little respect for her." Eisuke rolls his eyes, his tone iced. "If you're going to be difficult then get back to work." Baba nods, picking up his hat, and gratefully leaves, mouthing 'I'm sorry' to me, over his shoulder, before the door closes.

Panic sets in, and I try to run, being caught by Soryu's strong arms as he pushes me back, unsmiling. "Going somewhere?" I whimper, feeling the cord cut into me a little as it's ripped away, and the gown is slowly opened, then discarded. "No wonder Ota wanted to keep this for himself." The comment makes me blush deeply with humiliation, and I close my eyes tightly, feeling rough hands grabbing and groping me. Thinking about it, I could have chosen a lot worse than Ota. I don't want to wag my tail for any of these men!  
"P-please...n-no..." My cries fall on deaf ears as I'm suddenly pinned with my back to someone's body, Eisuke stands in front of me, looking into my petrified eyes with sick amusement. "Once a pet, always a pet." He grins, and I can't bear to look, but I can feel him pressing against me, I know my chance of escape has gone.

Suddenly, he grabs my hips, and snarls in my ear. "You should have chosen me." I fight back tears, wondering if my story would have still ended this way if I had. Would Ota have still been the angelic artist to me, if he didn't own me? I'd seen under that facade of a smile, that counted for something, surely? He was most likely sketching in his studio, tossing pages to the ground in frustration as his mind was clouded with sadness. Or maybe he'd just been using me, and didn't care at all.

I look Eisuke, and Soryu dead in the eyes with bitter hatred, feeling my world start to spin as I try to comprehend what's about to happen. I raise my fists, aiming to punch Eisuke, stun him just long enough to run, but strong hands quickly pin my wrists behind my back. Anger fills his eyes, and he slaps me hard, across the face.

"You're going to regret that, pet."

**To be continued...**


	4. Episode Four - Ota

**Episode Four**

The sound of wood splintering as the door collides with the wall, causing an ear-splitting crack as it ricochettes off its hinges, causes the three men to look up. A voice laced with anger and saturated with bitter loathing fills the room, every word spat with venom. "GET YOUR FUCKING FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!" I look across to see burning golden eyes, tinged with panic, soft locks of windswept hair falling over them, his pale skin flushed with regretful pink. The men are so used to his calm demeanour, that seeing the angelic artist's fury has made them step back. "O-Ota..."

I breathe his name in disbelief, relief washing over me like a bath of ice on my wounded spirit. Soothing my wounds, filling the empty void that swirls deep in my heart, taking all my fears away, and replacing them with hope. "Tasha, are you okay?" Ota makes his way over to me, pulling me tightly against his chest, nuzzling my neck, and whispers, "I'm so sorry... I should never have left you alone." I close my eyes, breathing in his scent, the warmth of his skin, his body against mine, thawing my heart which was frozen by the cruelty of the men who I thought I could trust. Before I realise it, tears are cascading down my rose cheeks, and Ota notices with a soft sigh, and kisses my sadness away, his hand stroking my hair. "Come on Tasha, we're leaving."

Baba runs into the room, panting softly. "Ota, wait!" He looks around, first at the men that are standing awkwardly in the corner, then at Ota and me. Ota removes his jacket, draping it over my shoulders, shooting Baba a pointed look. When he realises that nothing bad has happened, he seems to relax, and then the sadness sets in.

"How will we know what's counterfeit and what's not?" He asks, a dry attempt at humour, as he doesn't wish to admit that he'll miss his friend. Ota shrugs, "Find someone else." Eisuke finally speaks up, his voice low and dark. "She legally belongs to me." He reminds Ota quietly. "There's no legality about the auctions!" Baba exclaims, and Ota nods silently. "It's legitimate so long as the police are in on it." Eisuke looks to Kishi, and he smirks. "Correct." Ota closes his jacket, covering my chest, then he picks me up, keeping my body hidden against his chest, and behind his strong arms.

As he heads for the door, he announces, "I'll tell the world about the auctions and have them shut down!" Soryu blocks the door, pulling a gun from his pocket. Baba looks shocked and hides behind Ota, and Ota clutches me tighter to his chest. Soryu's eyes are dark as he cocks the gun, aiming it at Ota's head.

"You're not leaving this room alive, so I suggest you reconsider."

**To be continued...**

**(A/N: This is a shorter chapter, but the next one will be much longer, hope you're enjoying it so far :3 I have noticed that in the game, Ota does not yell, in fact, he's quite calm... but who doesn't want the hero to be protective? XD)**


	5. Episode Five - Ota

*Episode Five**

Ota put me down, giving me a gentle push towards the bedroom.  
"Go and get dressed Tasha."  
I head towards the door, but Detective Kishi blocks my path.  
"The pet, stays with us."  
Ota's eyes widen, and he growls softly. 'That's not fair!"  
"Life isn't fair, kid."  
I lower my eyes to the ground, thankful that at least my top half is covered, and step back a little.  
"Ota, there's some documents that Baba put into your room."  
We look over at Baba, and he opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it again, knowing that nothing he can say will help. Even Ota knows that this is a trap, but he has no choice.

He goes towards his room, and Detective Kishi steps aside and as he goes into the room, the detective closes the door, and jams his gun under the handle. I watch as the handle shakes, Ota trapped helplessly on the other side. He doesn't bother to protest, starting with "You dare..." And then he stops, because no matter what he says, my fate is sealed. It's inevitable.

"Guys... Could we give Tasha a break? It's obvious that her and Ota have passion. The protective streak in him, it's love. LOVE." Baba gives me a hopeful smile.  
Detective Kishi rolls his eyes, and smirks.  
"Ota is a kid who needs to learn he can't always have his own way."  
Baba's smile fades, and he sighs, having developed sympathetic feelings for the girl himself.  
"Eisuke, I need to talk to you. Alone. It's about things that Ta...the girl, doesn't know." He nods knowingly, and walks out of the room, and Baba follows. A few moments later, Eisuke returns, and walks over to me, pulling me over to him.

"The girl is mine. I bought her, it's on paper, as we established earlier. Anyone who wishes to argue with that..."  
He pushes the door open, indicating Baba, with a sweep of his hands, unconscious, his head bowed, his face cloaked in shadow. My heart sinks, he was my last chance. "Soryu, go downstairs and take Mamo with you, you have a client to deal with, wear your masks, he's new."  
They both nod, and head downstairs. Eisuke keeps his grip on me, walking over to Ota's bedroom, and pulls the gun out from under the door. Ota surfaces, looking wary, and steps back as we go inside, and Eisuke closes the door.

He stares at us both, and me and Ota look back at him. I cuddle close to Ota, and he strokes my hair, soothing me. "What's up pretty lady?" Eisuke asks, and Ota breathes a huge sigh of relief, as 'Eisuke' removes his disguise.  
"Baba!" I exclaim, leaping up to hug him, before remembering Ota's earlier accusation, which stops me in my tracks. As it happens, Baba is the one who cuddles me. I blush lightly and move away, and Ota pulls me onto the bed with him. A realisation hits me, and I pipe up, "So the unconscious one was Eisuke?" I ask. Baba facepalms. "Of course." Ota begins listening intently. "You knocked Eisuke unconscious?!" He exclaims, then he composes himself, and his angelic smile returns. "Thank you." Baba nods modestly, "No problem. Now, we need to get out of here before he regains consciousness, or they suss me out." We get up, and I cautiously peek out of the door. "All clear." We leave the room, and make our way to the door of Ota's apartment. When we open it, we see the real Eisuke lying in wait, with Soryu and Detective Kishi at either side.  
"You three have got some explaining to do... From beyond the grave!"  
Soryu aims his gun at Baba this time, and Baba grins, grabbing my hand as I grab Ota's.  
"Tasha..."  
"Baba?"

"Run!"

**To be continued...**


	6. Episode Six - Ota

**Episode Six**

A few days later when the chaos has died down, Ota, Baba, and myself, are in a hotel room, nowhere near as fancy as the ones at Tres Spades, but we're hiding, not living the life of luxury. As we venture out of the doors to look for anything but trouble, we walk straight into Kuboyama, the reporter that wouldn't leave Ota alone. He scowls at us, and then smiles as he realises who we are. "Mr Kisaki, what are you doing here? Hiding from another scandal, hm?" He smirks, taking the red pen from behind his ear that he always seems to have, and prepares to make notes. I'm about to step in, when Baba winks at me, and Ota gently squeezes my hand. "Actually, you're just the man I was looking for." He tells Kuboyama, who presses his pen to his paper, and grins. "Do you have time for an interview?" He asks, that cocky, sharp smile on his face, as always. Ota shakes his head, "Soon, but it's not about me. Give me a minute."

He turns to us, and his angelic smile appears, as he shields his words from the reporter, speaking quietly. "If we tell him about the auctions, he'll spread the news like wildfire, he'll shut them down, or get killed trying. Either way, he's out of the way, and Mamo, Soryu and Eisuke will have their hands full dealing with him. Which means they're off our backs for a while." Baba's eyes light up, and he grins, his fingers brushing lightly against mine as he steps back to let Ota speak. I feel a tiny shock of electricity, and I close my hand, blushing. Ota addresses Kuboyama with his trademark smile, the calm and relaxed demeanour of an angel.

"We have reason to believe that illegal auctions are being held in the Penthouse of the hotel, Tres Spades." Ota declares, his smile fading to a grave expression, "Some of my paintings were auctioned off there without my permission, and we found out about them by tracing the paintings back to their seller's origin. My-" He indicates Baba, who quickly cuts over him, "Mitsunari Baba, manager of Ota Kisaki, nice to meet you." His smile is mischevious, and his eyes reflect something that Kuboyama doesn't detect. Perhaps the want to grab him by his blue striped tie and choke him with it. Ota subtly rolls his eyes at the statement, which again is missed, as the reporter is busy writing. "My manager..." He continues, and I try not to smile at the irony in his voice, "Told me about the auctions, which seem to be being run by Mamoru Kishi, Eisuke Ichinomiya, and Soryu Oh."

The reporter continues writing at speed, a big grin on his face, and then returns the red pen to behind his ear, and puts his notepad at his side for a moment. "Are there specific times that these auctions happen? What do they sell there?" He fires questions at Ota, who calmly answers them. While the interview continues, I begin a much quieter conversation with Baba. "Can I ask you something?" I ask politely, and he smiles. "Fire away, pretty lady." I nod, realising a crimson blush is flooding my cheeks again. "Why did you go for the role of Ota's mananger?" I tilt my head, watching as he considers this. "It was the role I took on at the art exhibition before, makes my story more believable."

The art exhibition, where Rin took Ota's red bird idea and stole it, only to find out that his was a bluebird in the darkness when light shone on the stones he crushed into the paint. I wish I'd got to see the painting myself, but I'm sure I recall that he called me his bluebird once, when he thought I was sleeping. Perhaps I wasn't a pet to him as much as I'd previously believed. The day that he called me an important person, and later changed it to pet, and was even crying fake tears. If he hadn't saved me from the gang, I would still believe that I was nothing more than a toy to amuse him. But a lot has changed since then.

I nod, understanding now, and Baba gives me a cheeky grin. "Besides, who wouldn't want to be the manager of the 'Angelic artist'?" He stops speaking as Ota comes over, and Kuboyama puts away his notepad. "That information will be very valuable, Mr Kisaki." The reporter smirks, and then walks off without so much as a thank you. Ota pecks me softly on the lips, and then smiles at Baba as if to say, 'Don't even think about it.' Baba simply grins, and we walk back across town, past Ota's art gallery, until we reach the hotel.

Ota pulls me back by my hand as we approach, seeing a large crowd of people, and flashbulbs going off. My manager is stood at the door, his hands raised as he tries to calm the crowd, and Eisuke is by his side. "As Mr Ichinomiya has said, if there was any illegal activity in Tres Spades, he'd know about it." It makes me giggle as I see Kuboyama push through the crowd, and point accusingly at him. "Mr Ichinomiya is part of it!"

All eyes fall on The King as he defends himself, dismissing their questions and remarks. He mutters something into his jacket lapel, and a few moments later, Kuboyama falls to the ground, a bullet wound in his skull. The crowd that have gathered start screaming, and everyone seems to flee the area as panic rises in the crowd. "Just as planned..." Ota murmurs, before watching the crowd return, screaming at Eisuke. "You shot him! There is something going on here!" More reporters start buzzing around the area, no-one paying any attention to Kuboyama, too busy trying to uncover the truth.

It occurs to me that by exposing the auctions, Ota actually has a lot to lose. Even though he only told Kuboyama, and Kuboyama doesn't share his sources with other reporters, purely because he's too selfish, if anyone traced the auctioneers back to Ota Kisaki, his career would be over. Especially if they found out that his girlfriend used to be for sale, and that's how he gained her. Thinking about it makes me shiver, and Baba gives me a look of concern, then sympathy. "He'll handle it." Baba tells me quietly, "Ota always has a plan." This is news to me, but it comforts me a little. Just as Eisuke looks like he can't handle any more, and the manager has gone back inside in despair, Ota sprints over and climbs the steps. I notice the shadow of Soryu, hidden behind a pillar, his gun cocked, trained on Ota now. That explains Kuboyama's death, but I thought he'd be more subtle. Ota holds up his hands, and everyone falls silent, aside from the excited whispers, "It's Ota Kisaki!" "Maybe he's here to get his paintings back?"

Baba, who usually loves being the centre of attention, is staying hidden with me. He watches with a small smile as Ota declares, "Kuboyama was lying." I expect that the nosy reporter would have objected, had he not been dead. A shocked gasp ripples through the crowd, and Ota continues, "I donated my paintings to this hotel, to the head of C.E.O, Mr Ichinomiya himself. They're all legal and legitimate. The transfer was done via my manager, isn't that right Mitsunari?" Ota looks over at us with his angelic smile, and Baba looks stunned, walking, with me, towards the steps of the hotel. I've never heard him called by his first name before, it feels a little strange to me. "That's right." Baba nods, as we reach the stairs, and he joins Ota. "There's no illegal activity here, Kuboyama was just a reporter who was biased against Ota because of a report he wrote with invalid information about him, and had to apologise."

Soryu lowers his gun, watching us with a cold expression, but his eyes are filled with amazement. After the crowd 'realise' that there's nothing dodgy going on, they lose interest and start questioning Ota about his next art piece. I wonder if I'll get photographed with him this time, as the flashbulbs start going off again. It may be a little difficult to deny that one if Sakiko sees it in the papers. I wonder what'll happen to Kuboyama, but as I look to the spot where he was, he's gone. I guess I'll never find out.

A few hours later, we're all sat in the lounge of the Penthouse. Baba is playing cards with me, and Ota, Soryu, and Eisuke are chatting casually. Eisuke leans over to Baba and smiles with acid in his tone. "I'm going to let it slide that you tricked me and knocked me unconscious, but do it again, and Soryu will take care of you." Both men smile nastily at Baba, who just grins, placing a Royal Flush down on the table. "Okay!" He replies cheerfully, "I win Tasha."

"Also..." Eisuke turns back to Ota, "I can't help but think that you told them about the auctions, but thanks for stepping in, kid. For some obscure reason, the public believe you more than they believe the owner of the hotel." Ota gives him my favourite angelic smile, and then calls attention to him. Baba and I look up, and the others reluctantly stop talking. Ota grins at me, his amber eyes sparkling as he says, "Tasha is my girlfriend, not a pet. Which means that she's not everybody's, she's just mine." His speech seems to come off as a little possessive, but I know he means well, and I smile back at him.

Baba collects the cards, shuffling them, and Ota stands up, motioning for me to stand up too. "I'm heading to my room for the night." He states, and winks at me. "Tasha is coming with me. Don't disturb us." It seems like his last comment is aimed at Baba, but it either goes over his head, or he ignores it, as he just continues grinning. Ota grabs my hand and pulls me into his room, and for half a second I see sadness in Baba's eyes.

As the door closes.

**To be continued...**


	7. Episode Seven - Ota

**(A/N: Hehe :D Ten reviews, OMG thank you guys!**

**LFM: The twists will keep on coming so check regularly ^^**

**Celery Stalks: Thank you for noticing Baba's love reference from the game, I like stealing quotes from him occasionally :)**

**Derp: You can read my update just below, and congratulations for being my tenth reviewer ^^**

**Anyone who I've missed, who has followed or favourited, thank you to you too ^.^**

**Love you all, thank you for reading my story ^^**

**That said, on with the update :D)**

**Episode 7**

When I wake in the morning, I'm cuddled tightly to Ota's chest, and he's breathing deeply, his pale skin slightly tinted with a light pink. He looks so peaceful lying there, you wouldn't think, to look at him now, that he'd been so close to dying yesterday, and for half the time, he didn't even know. Just one wrong move on anyone's part, myself, Ota, or even Baba, and Soryu would've taken us out from his shadowed cover. No-one would've seen, or been able to do anything about it. The proof of that was Kuboyama, and we still don't know what they did with him.

I fondly reach out and stroke his cheek, brushing a soft lock of his caramel fringe away from his eyes, and they flicker open, his golden irises fixed on me. The intensity of his stare makes me blush, and I'm about to pull away, when he grabs my wrist and pins me on the bed, chuckling softly. "Good morning Tasha." His usual teasing smile plays across his lips as he looks down at me, "Did you sleep well?" I'm stunned into silence, crimson flooding my cheeks, and seeing my vulnerability, he attacks, peppering my neck with kisses. A knock at the door makes us both look up. "If this is who I think it is…" Ota starts, before getting up, and looking me over, checking I'm suitably hidden beneath the silk sheets. He pulls the door open, and blocks it with his body, but Baba looks over his shoulder regardless.

"Morning pretty lady." He grins at me, and I return the smile without hesitation. "Good morning Baba." Ota returns from the door to settle on the bed, and it takes me a moment to realise he's shielding me from sight. Baba comes into the room, but noticeably keeps his distance. "Ota, I need to talk to you… alone." I'm expecting Ota to reply in my favour, say that anything Baba wants to say to him can be said to me. However, his face turns serious, and when he looks at me, all traces of humour have gone from his eyes. "Tasha, go and wait downstairs. If anyone tries anything, come back, but until then, stay until I tell you otherwise." This is starting to sound a lot like he thinks I'm a pet again. I sigh gently, and don't move. "Whatever it is, I can handle it." I say firmly, and Baba gently shakes his head, causing anger to flare in Ota's eyes. "Do I have to call you Koro for you to listen to me?" He addresses me in a sharp tone, "Go and wait downstairs."

A little stunned, I get up, and without looking at either of them, I make my way down into the lounge where the three men are, who usually wouldn't pay any attention to me. Eisuke looks up and smirks, but doesn't speak, and I stand in the corner, feeling awkward.

**Ota's POV**

"They're doing what?!" My heart sinks as Baba repeats what he just said. "Putting Tasha up for auction." His eyes are bitter, "Eisuke knows that you're the one who sent the reporters to his door. He wants a way to get to you. I guess she's the only way he knows." I scowl, "Or the only way he wants to use to show that I'm still under his control. Still, we can cancel the auction, can't we?" His eyes flicker with hope, "We can?" I nod, and smile innocently. "There's got to be a reason he didn't want me to know. Surely if I confront him with it, he'll stop the auction." Baba looks unsure, "I doubt that Eisuke will stop just because you tell him to. Besides, letting you know was as big a crime as not wearing my mask with a new auctioneer. If he knows you know, he'll know I told you. Then I'll get in trouble too." I sigh quietly, "We have to make sure she doesn't find out. If Tasha knows, she'll try to stop him, and I don't believe he'll hesitate to kill her." The words shock me as they leave my lips, but I know that it's true. "But wait…" Baba smiles, "She can't be sold if she isn't willing." I consider this fact, "Don't forget that they're not on our side any more, the rules may not apply for this auction."

Soryu appears in the doorway, ending our discussion. "Eisuke is calling a meeting, you're expected to be there." He tells us firmly, before turning and going back downstairs. We both follow, and I breathe a sigh of relief to see Tasha unharmed, for now.

**Tasha's POV**

I rush over to Ota and hug him tightly, and he smiles lightly, stroking my hair. "Go to my room and wait there." He tells me calmly, and when I meet his eyes, I can see past his angelic smile, there's pain in his golden irises. Instead of arguing that even though I haven't seen him for most of today, and I want to spend time with him, I simply nod, and walk past him, keeping my focus on the ground. I can't help but wonder what it is that they're keeping from me.

An hour later, Ota returns, and sinks down on the bed, and now, there's more than pain, there's despair. "What's happened Ota?" I sit at his side, and he doesn't reply, he just pulls me tightly against him. I can feel his heartbeat frantically pounding inside his chest, whatever this is, it's worse than just public demand. "Shhh…" He says quietly, "Don't ask questions." His fingers trace small circles on my back, which would usually soothe me, but now I'm concerned. "Ota please…" I beg him softly, wanting to lessen his burden. He pulls me away by my shoulders, and looks into my eyes. "Ask me one more time and I'll demote you to Koro again."

His voice is so sharp that I actually flinch. "S-sorry…" I reply quietly, still stunned by the ferocity of his tone. "I… I'll be right back. I just need to go and talk to Baba." Ota growls softly under his breath. "He won't tell you anything either!" He calls after me, but I just let the door close. I see Eisuke in the corridor, and he smirks at me. "Right on time, the auction starts soon." Then I feel a sharp pain in my skull, and I sink to the ground, my vision fading to black.

When I wake up, I can't move. There's gold in front of me, blurry gold lines. I try to reach out to touch them, and feel something pull at my wrists. I look down, and as everything comes into focus, I see that the lines are solid, and shiny. Bars, there's bars in front of me. I can't turn, my cuffs are attached to a chain which links to one of the bars at the side of me. The darkness lifts, like a curtain being swept up from the ground, and I realise that I'm in a cage. A giant birdcage, just like the one I was auctioned in when Eisuke first bought me. His words echo in my mind, and as the glaring lights of the stage blind me, it hits me. 'Right on time, the auction starts soon.' I'm being put up for auction again, that's why Ota was so upset. Couldn't he have stopped it?! I see the greasy skinned man who was at the first auction, his big teeth exposed as he grins menacingly. Up above me, a happy singsong voice sends chills down my spine.

"Shall we start the bidding?"

**To be continued…**


	8. Final Episode - Ota

****Final episode****

"We've got 10,000 to start, does anyone wish to place a bid?" I shut my eyes again, already feeling nauseous at hearing the 'healthy Japanese woman' speech again. I try my best to block it out, but the occasional bid catches my attention. "80,000 to seat #2000, anyone else?" Why does #2000 strike a chord with me? I don't recall why, but peeking out at the crowd, I can see the smirk on the greasy man's face, and as he calls his bid of 1 million, I realise that #2000 isn't his seat, and suddenly I want seat #2000 to outbid him. My eyes flicker up to the seat where Ota had taken me before, after we went down the 'Rabbit hole' to get to 'The Mad Hatter's Tea Party.' But I can't see anything. My vision is obscured by bars, and however much I try and pull away to get a better look, I can't move. "Sold for 40 million to seat #2000!"

Sold? I wonder who seat #2000 is… I know it's familiar, I just don't know why. My cage is moved backstage, and two masked men come to greet me. One of the men has blonde-brown hair, and the other has dark brown hair. I'm getting a serious sense of déjà vu here, the masks are even the same colour, gold just like the ones worn by Ota and Baba when they first came to get me. Of course, I didn't know who they were then, but… "Tasha!" W-wait, Ota?! The blond haired man rips his mask off, and pulls me into a very tight hug. "If it's you two releasing me, then who bought me?" I ask cautiously. "I don't understand…"

"I did." Eisuke grins as he pushes past Baba and Ota, "You did?" We all look at him in shock, and his grin doesn't fall. Baba looks the most stunned, "The boss put his hand in his pocket to buy something he already had? That doesn't make sense." Ota looks at me and then Eisuke in disbelief. "Why, Eisuke? Why did you scare us all like that?" His smile drops, "I don't have to explain myself to you, kid. I'm calling a meeting in the lounge to decide what to do with her."

As I stand in the lounge, looking at all the men, my heart starts racing. Ota is stood holding his mask, in one hand, and my hand in the other. Baba sits on the chair arm, his hat held against his chest, his head bowed just a little. Detective Kishi is stood on the stairs, a light smile on his face as he silently puffs on a cigarette. Eisuke settles on the red couch in front of me, his arm resting on the back, and Soryu forms a defensive stance behind the couch, his arms folded. As I look over the couch, I see the most beautiful view of the city. The sky looks so peaceful at night-time.

"Choose more carefully this time." Eisuke chuckles darkly, and the sparkle in his eyes is dangerous. He wants me to choose him. That was the whole point of the second auction. "You can decide who owns you." He smiles, and his words bring flashbacks. Of my decision to pick Ota, and everything that ensued from there. But now it seems my story is changing. "Who are you going to pick?" He asks, already knowing the answer. Just as I'm about to doom myself by picking Ota yet again, even though his eyes are pleading with me to choose the wrong path, and agree to go with Eisuke, something saves me from making that decision.

"Time's up."

****To be continued…****

**(A/N: Don't you hate it when the game does that to you? XD Well, you've reached the end of Ota's main story, but the sequel will be released at some point in the not too distant future. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy… if you can…. Eisuke's main story :D **

**Regrettably, I will not be able to continue for quite some time due to something that's come up, but be patient please, and I'll try my best to update when I can. ^^)**


	9. Episode One - Eisuke

**(A/N: Hello people! This is my update! And it's about time, stupid life :) Anyways, this is Eisuke's path now, so enjoy ^-^)**

**Episode One**  
Suddenly Mr Ichinomiya reaches forward and grabs me by the waist, tossing me over his shoulder. Without a word, he starts up the stairs and I can hear the others muttering behind him. Ota's voice sounds pained, "The boss always claims the best things." He sounds like he's scowling, but I don't exactly hear him running up here to save me. Or maybe he just doesn't want a bullet in his brain. Baba's voice is much quieter, and I can't make out what he's saying, but there's an undertone of sadness to it, and I don't think it's on Ota's behalf.  
I don't have much time to contemplate this interesting idea, as I'm tossed down onto the bed, and Mr Ichinomiya stands above me, silent and unsmiling. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yell at him, and he stares coldly at me as the corner of his lips curl into a terrifying scowl. "You're not supposed to speak without permission." As I fight back trembling, and glower at him, my mind takes me back yet again to when I'd first been bought, and he'd said the same thing then. Mustering up every ounce of courage inside me, I retort fiercely, "I'm not going to bow down to you, Eisuke."  
I don't know if it's the words themselves that cause his scowl to turn into a frown of utter disbelief that makes my blood run cold, or if it's the fact I called him by his first name. Either way, this is not going to end well. The agonisingly sharp pain that sears through me as the I feel the impact of his palm colliding with my cheek, comes with such force that my head turns, and my skin begins to sting. A soft whimper escapes my throat, and as I look up, I see olive irises that haven't got even a hint of sympathy in them. Eisuke's hair falls over his eyes like Ota's does, but does nothing to lessen the cruel gaze. He continues speaking then as if I haven't even interjected. "You will only answer questions with yes and okay, do you understand?"  
I swallow, breathing softly as I start to wonder if this is a nightmare, and I'll wake up in my bed beside Ota. I don't dare to close my eyes to find out, I simply reply in defeat with, "Yes." A smile flickers momentarily across his lips, and then the scowl returns. "Good. Now go and make me a coffee." I notice he doesn't give me any instruction on how he likes his coffee, am I just supposed to know? I have no idea if this requires an answer or not, so I just say, "Okay." Then go into what I assume to be the kitchen and hunt for coffee. When I find the jar, I'm a little stunned, this is seriously expensive coffee! I can recall seeing it in a shop with Sakiko, and the price tag was over £10! It claims to be completely natural and give a smooth taste, but there's nothing about them being against slavery, no Fairtrade stamp. The nasty thought darkens my mind that if it did support slavery, he'd have wanted to buy it more, and I quickly shake that off. Pull yourself together Tasha, it's just coffee. I silently scold myself, and then pick up the jar, struggling as I start to carry it to the counter where the kettle is, this thing weighs a tonne and the jar is glass, which doesn't help!  
I seem to be reminiscing a lot today, and doing this, struggling with the heavy object reminds me of the box that sealed my fate. The day I got interrupted and dropped the Venus statue, causing me to be put in the auction in its place. I can feel the jar slipping from my fingers, and I place it on the counter hurriedly, as I go to grab a jug to fill the kettle, I don't realise how much of the jar base is off the edge of the counter, until it overbalances, and falls.  
The soul-shattering echo resonates off the walls as the heavy jar smashes into the ground, spraying the tile floor with finely-ground coffee, and sharp fragments of glass skid away from the destruction, some stopping just near my feet.  
I hear angry footsteps from the other side of the door, and I close my eyes, backing away as the sound of inevitable punishment gets closer, and closer. Suddenly, I feel an agonisingly sharp pain in my foot, and I can feel warm liquid trickling onto the tiles. I peek out and see my crimson blood staining the ground. I stepped on a shard of glass. Great, another thing I'll get scolded for.  
My attention turns to the door as it swings open.  
**To be continued…**


	10. Episode Two - Eisuke

****Episode Two****

"What have you…" Eisuke stops when he sees the utter destruction of his kitchen floor. I see anger flare in his eyes, burning in a strong flame of fiery rage, and I close my eyes again, tensing up, breathing fast, my heart threatening to break out of my chest and flee the room. The sound of his voice, not angry, but concerned and serious, makes me dare to take a look, and I see him stood beside me. "You're bleeding." He informs me, matter-of-factly, and he scoops me up, stepping over the fragmented glass, then places me on the counter, and opens a draw, rooting through it with haste. He produces a pair of tweezers and a roll of bandages. I suddenly realise I don't know whether I should be relieved that he's not angry, or scared that he's going to attempt to remove the glass from my foot, by himself. I mean, head of CEO isn't exactly the same as Senior Surgeon.

Looking down at my blood-stained shoe, I realise that the glass has gone through the thin sole, and directly into my foot, effectively pinning the shoe to my foot. Surely we need a doctor? Eisuke doesn't seem to think so, as he places his thumb and forefinger on either side of the glass under my foot, and tugs gently. I wince, my hands firmly gripping the counter, and a look of apology flickers in his eyes, but he responds with, "Stay still." I bite my lip softly, watching him as he picks up the tweezers, aligning them with the fragment with one hand, holding my ankle firmly with the other. I close my eyes tightly, wincing once more as I can actually feel the sharp sliver of glass sliding out of my foot. He carefully places the bloodied glass on the counter beside me, before removing my shoe, placing that on the floor. I guess he has a superstition about getting bad luck from putting shoes on surfaces, and I can't say I blame him. He quickly takes off my soaked lace sock, then lifts my stinging foot, examining the wound. The laceration from the glass is deep, and it's acutely painful, but I don't dare to make a sound. Eisuke clicks his tongue, getting up, and opens the cupboards, searching for something else. He pulls down a large blue bottle, labelled 'antiseptic', and unscrews the cap, picking up a cloth from the side, and soaking it in the liquid. Without warning, he presses the cloth to my wound, and an agonisingly sharp pain sears through my foot, making me yelp. A low chuckle escapes his throat, which he covers with a slight frown of concentration as he grabs the bandages, starting to wrap my foot in a tight gauze. When he's satisfied that the blood flow has been stemmed, he moves back to admire his handiwork.

"I'll clean this up, seeing as walking on that would be a bad idea. But I still want my coffee, and try not to take out anything else whilst making it." Again, I detect the quiet chuckle, and a hint of amusement in his voice. This should be quite literally adding insult to injury for me, however, I kind of like that he has a sense of humour because it makes a refreshing change from always being so serious. "Y-yes Sir." I reply obediently, and he clicks his tongue again. "No no no, that won't do. Call me Eisuke." As I breathe softly, I realise I responded to a question that didn't require an answer, and this seems to break the rules he set, I spoke without being given permission, but he hasn't even noticed.

"Eisuke…" I say warily, and he looks up at me, pausing in the middle of tipping the glass into the bin. "Yes?" I suddenly feel crimson flooding my cheeks as I actually feel shy. I notice his eyes are soft, the dark olive that was so cold before, seems almost gentle. "Thank you." I manage, a shock of electricity sparking in the air as our eyes meet. He nods once, then looks away again. "I wasn't going to just let you bleed on my floor." He responds with a small smile, then walks away, calling back, "As for how I like my coffee, you'll only get it wrong once." Then, he's gone. I find a peculiar smile on my lips, a strange feeling of happiness inside me. My happiness is short-lived though, as a sharp voice inside my head brings me back to reality.  
'Koro.' Ota's voice sounds disapproving inside my head, and I realise that he's become the voice of my conscience. 'You're wagging your tail for someone else.' Shamefully, I try to deny it, speaking aloud, but quietly, so only I can hear. "I am not. It's just that Eisuke was really nice to me just then, rather than get angry, and his eyes are quite beautiful when he's not angry…" I stop myself in shock as I realise what I've just said. 'You haven't thought about me once while you've been with him, have you?' A low groan escapes my lips as the words hit me, I'd forgotten about Ota. Everything about my sexy golden eyed artist, had been lost in those soft olive irises. Suddenly, I become annoyed, and retaliate. "I don't see you coming up here to save me." His illusionary voice softens, and he sighs. 'I can't, Tasha. Eisuke isn't a good man, if you and I aren't careful, we could both be in danger.' I whine softly, my voice is high and irritating, but I don't care. "But I want to see you!"

A cold voice breaks into my thoughts, "He's in the lounge. We're going down there now to discuss the auctions, you can see him then, but don't try anything." The statement makes me blush deeply, as I realise he's been stood there, maybe for the whole time, listening. I'm about to protest that I'm not crazy, even though he just witnessed me talking to the air, when Eisuke walks over, and takes out my earring, studying it. I look at him in surprise, and he tosses it to me. When I examine the small stud, minus the silver ring, I realise I've never seen it before in my life, and hidden behind my hair, I never would have known. The 'stud' is actually a speaker with a built in microphone, so tiny that only people that had worked with them before, would have known what it was. "Not conscience…" I mumble quietly, and he chuckles without humour, "Not conscience." Ota gave me the earrings a week after I became his pet, real silver, and said I must wear them at all times. "Clever…" Eisuke comments quietly.

"But foolish…"

****To be continued…****


	11. Episode Three - Eisuke

****Episode Three****

When we arrive in the lounge, Ota is sat on the couch, an amused expression on his face. His golden irises lock on mine, sending a flush of crimson through my cheeks. "Hello Koro." He grins, and Baba looks up at me, his eyes glittering with mischief. I have a feeling that I'm about to endure some unrelenting teasing, and blushing is not helping. Ota beckons me over, and Eisuke glares at him, his cool expression returning once more. "Tasha is mine now, remember?" He states coldly, making both Ota and Baba dissolve into soft laughter. I have the urge to laugh with them, but I don't think it would be a good idea. "What's so funny?" Eisuke's olive eyes fix on mine, and even through his serious demeanour, I can see the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.  
Ota notices my injured foot, and his smile fades. "Nothing." He responds warily, "What happened there?" Eisuke shrugs, "She stood on some broken glass in the kitchen." I feel my cheeks flame once more as Baba gets up, his attention also on me, causing Soryu and Detective Kish to look in my direction too. Ever the comedian, Baba tries to break the slowly growing tension.

"A pretty lady shouldn't be in the kitchen." He says warmly, his eyes seem to be avoiding mine though, almost as though that moment our eyes met last, is lingering in his mind like a sweet aftertaste. Even Ota notices this, and I hear a hint of jealousy in his voice, "You're drooling." He points out, nudging Baba, and he covers it with a light chuckle. Eisuke realises that the attention has drifted from him, and clearly he dislikes being ignored by other people just as much as it irks him when I accidentally do it. "Maybe not, but she's nothing more than a pet."

The words cut into me like a physical blow, and the insult hurts more than it should. I notice just how fiercely he's glaring at me, and I realise the problem. To both of them, it seems like I'm wagging my tail for Baba. The craziest thing is, I start to wonder what would happen if I allowed myself to see the gentleman behind the thief, if I let myself fall. There are some things about Baba that I never noticed when I was with Ota, like the mischievous sparkle in his warm brown eyes, the somewhat cute way that his locks of soft mousy hair fall over them, just a little. There's the glint of his white teeth every time he laughs, and the gentlest smile that comforts me no matter how dire the situation becomes. Moving away from the icy blade of anger that seems to be aimed at me, I go to stand next to Baba, and he grins, then unexpectedly, he moves away. As he walks past me, I feel something moderately cool and rough in texture, pressed into my palm. I close my fingers around it tightly, already imagining what it might say inside, what secrets this little piece of paper might hold.

Eisuke catches my wrist, lifting it up as he tightens his grip, and I wince. "Give me the note." Suddenly, I become very stubborn. This is my message, this is my secret, and there is no way that I'm letting him see it. I shake my head defiantly, causing his eyes to flare. "Pet." He hisses, drawing all attention to us, and causing Baba to bow his head. "Give. Me. The. Note." Eisuke repeats in a low, dangerously quiet tone. "No." I reply firmly, my heart starting to race as I can feel him readying to pounce. "No?" He tilts his head slowly, like a hungry panther stalking his prey, his olive eyes burning into mine. "Hm." Without another word, he drags me towards his room by my wrist, still holding it tightly. I look up at him with scared eyes, and he stops when we get inside, and twists my arm up behind my back, forcing me down to kneel at his feet, a sharp pain radiating through my shoulder. "Aah…" I whimper softly, and he snarls at me. "Shut up. You had your chance to comply, you stubborn little bitch, and you chose to fight against me." He starts to undress, and I swallow, bile rising in my throat as I realise what he's planning.

"Now you must pay."

****To be continued…****


	12. Episode Four - Eisuke

****Episode Four****

"Tasha?" Baba's voice shakes me out of my daydream, and I blink twice, looking around. His laughter is nervous, "Are you okay pretty lady?" I look up at him, and after a subtle look around, I slip the note into my pocket, not wanting the consequence of Eisuke seeing it. I force a smile and nod, "Yes… I guess I just spaced out." Ota grins at me from the couch and pipes up, "Better than talking to yourself." I stick my tongue out at him, but secretly, I'm grateful for the distraction, my heart is still pounding from my vivid imagination. "You shouldn't have bugged my earrings!" I retaliate playfully, and he pouts. "Better take your col….necklace off. There's a tracker in it." I look down at the silver tag in shock, and he and Baba start laughing like two naughty schoolboys. "Man she's gullible." Baba comments with a sweet smile, and I facepalm, groaning softly as my cheeks become aflame with embarrassment. "Aww, don't tease her." Ota grabs my hand, pulling me down onto the couch beside him, and Eisuke raises an eyebrow, but says nothing.

"So, discussing the auctions?" I prompt him, even though the auctions are the last thing I want to talk about, it's better than facing suspicion from certain people. "Indeed." Eisuke dismisses me with a wave of his hand and goes to talk with Soryu and Ota. Baba gives me a secret smile from under the brim of his hat, and Detective Kishi returns to his usual stance of smoking carelessly by the window. Without alerting anyone, I silently return to Ota's room, knowing it'll take a while for them to find me, as they won't look here first, and I unfold the note. 'Tasha, I have been protecting you from the others for some time, as you know, but as nice as Eisuke can seem, it's simply pretence. You need to get away from here. I'm not forcing you, but I would like to provide your escape, and I'd be most pleased if you invited me along. I was thinking of Italy. Bella Italia. Because it's beautiful, like you.' I find myself smiling as I read the neat writing, and then I move my finger, reading his signature, 'Mitsunari Baba'

A wave of sadness washes over me though, as I realise just how many lives are at risk if I do this. Shaking my head gently, I leave the room, and almost walk into Baba, who greets me with an eager smile. "I can't…" I whisper softly, and his smile drops, his eyes becoming angry. As my words sink in, uncaring of drawing attention from the others, he grabs me by the shoulders, staring deep into my eyes. "How many times are you gonna make me worry about you?" he asks, desperation breaking through in his usually calm voice. "Follow me." Without waiting for an answer, he heads off upstairs, and I chase after him, ignoring the burning on my back from Eisuke's sudden glare. When I reach the landing, he's gone. His voice echoes through the hall, coming from a door I've yet to open. "In here." He calls, his tone soft, and I detect a hint of sultry. When I push the door open, I see him sat on his windowsill, the window open, a cool breeze blowing in from the midnight blue sky. One polished shoe is resting on the ledge, as his other leg hangs off the edge, a casual pose. His hand in placed on his hat, and his head is slightly bowed, a wicked smile on his lips, just a hint of his teeth showing, his eyes watching me, lit up with excitement. "You followed." He states, both surprised and happy. The translucent white curtain drifts over his hand momentarily, and he looks up, beckoning me over. "Come here."  
I walk over to stand in front of him, and he suddenly pulls me against his chest, cuddling me tightly, his hand gently stroking my hair as he whispers in my ear.

"Italy."

****To be continued…** **


	13. Episode Five - Eisuke

****Episode Five****

Upon hearing footsteps, I panic, and try to pull away, and Baba soothes me quietly. "What's wrong?" he asks, before realising there's a growing shadow under the door. "Oh… we'll hide, just stay still and trust me." He whispers softly, then he holds me even tighter, and scoops me up, cuddling me against his chest as he lifts me onto the windowsill, resting me on his lap, which causes that shy fire to start burning in my cheeks again. Carefully, he removes his dark red jacket, and placing me next to him, he stands up, very skilfully not falling out of the open window, tying the arm of the jacket around the curtain pole, which makes the translucent material look opaque. He drops down beside me again, and pulls me close to his body, as he pins his back against the side of the window, breathing silently as we hear the door finally swing open.

"She's not here." I hear Ota's voice, and I see his golden hair as I peek out from behind the curtain, his hand lightly pushes my foot, and I pull away. I hear a soft sigh of relief as I do so, and I realise it's from Ota. He's… helping us? Eisuke growls under his breath, and the chink of metal against bone resonates as Ota falls to the ground, and I see a flash of red. "This is bad." Baba whispers in my ear, lifting the jacket just a little, so we're still concealed, but I can just about see through the translucent curtain.

The locks of soft blonde are stained with deep red, and I can scarcely hear quiet groaning. "Boss…" His voice is strained as we watch with baited breath, "Why?"  
Eisuke shakes his head disapprovingly, "Because you let them get away! Now go and search every inch of this hotel until you find them, she knows too much." I can feel how hard my heart is beating, and until I look down, I don't realise that my body is trembling. Baba places soft kisses down my neck, whispering soothing words against the sensitive skin of my neck, his warm breath tickling me, making me feel a little better. "Shh… it's okay pretty lady, they won't find us." My hopes are confirmed as Eisuke stalks out of the room and storms downstairs, leaving Ota to bleed on the floor. Baba pushes the curtain aside and jumps down, crouching beside the artist, who doesn't seem at all surprised to see either of us. "What… happened?"

Taking Baba's hand as his friend tries to help him up, Ota looks at me with pain in those gentle golden irises, "Eisuke hit me with his gun." He states weakly, "Ow…" I look at him in shock, "He shot you?" I ask, starting to feel quite nauseous, and Baba gently moves me aside so he can examine the wound. "No, but that'll be next. He'll get Soryu to do it, you two have to get away from here!"

Ota still speaks quietly, but I can hear the panic in his voice. I feel him wince as I place my hand in his, trying to soothe him, the pain coming from the disturbance as Baba moves Ota's blood-matted hair. "I think it broke the skin, but you've got a thick skull, I doubt there'll be any lasting effects."

Ota manages a weak smile, and then all three of us freeze as we hear footsteps. "Eisuke's coming back, and he may have company. You two had better leave." Concern is written all over his face as we both leap to our feet, looking around in sheer panic. "There's no way out!" I whimper, and Baba swallows, removing his hat as he takes a step back, his eyes fixed on the door.

As it slowly swings open…

****To be continued…****


	14. Episode Six - Eisuke

**(A/N: Well, I know how long it's been, and I have been meaning to re-write this chapter, because the story came to a dead end due to the way I was writing it before. However, the update is here! ^-^ I shall be updating regularly now, and I don't know if I still have any followers, but if I do, thank you for being faithful and waiting patiently. Anyway, on with the story. ^.^ )**

****Episode Six****

"Soryu?" Baba's eyes widen as the face we least expected to see, appears in the doorway, his gun cocked, trained on my companion. "Money lost is as bad as blood spilt to the boss." The black haired mobster speaks cryptically, in a smooth voice. "He paid extra to get the girl in his possession. He doesn't care if I spill some blood to get back his money." I press my back to Baba's body just like when we were hiding, in a protective stance, and he rests his chin on my head. "You'll have to go through me first." I tell Soryu fiercely, and he chuckles darkly. "I intend to." His finger toys with the trigger, his cold unblinking eyes locked on mine. I feel Baba's heart rate increasing, pounding against my back as he starts to panic, and this time, I reach back for his hand, squeezing it gently. "It'll be okay." I whisper, and I can almost sense his fear melting. Soryu seems unamused by our show of affection, and he starts to pull the trigger back, when Eisuke throws open the door, causing Soryu to let go of the trigger and lower his gun. "We'll deal with them later, it's auction time soon." We both breathe a sigh of relief, and Ota gets up, leaving the room very quickly. "Soryu, stay here and keep an eye on these two. Me, Mamo, and the kid will go to the auction." He nods solemnly, his gun still lowered to the ground. I watch helplessly as the door closes.

"Are you scared of him?" The question is on my lips before I can think about what I'm saying, and those cold steel eyes flicker over to me, filled with anger. The look alone is enough to make me flinch, yet he stays unmoving, almost as though he's frozen in his stance, fixed to the ground. "No." He says quietly, "I respect the Boss, but I don't fear him." Baba gently pushes me aside, and then starts to walk towards Soryu, ignoring my panicked attempts to pull him back. "Sor, it's just you and me now. You've turned a gun on me many times in the past, but I know for a fact that you'd never shoot, so what will it take for you to turn a blind eye and let us leave?"

There's a truly terrifying moment when I believe with every fibre of my being that Soryu is going to turn, and fill my kind, gentle, sweet-hearted man with lead, but he doesn't. Instead, a dark smirk lifts the corner of his lips, and he jerks his thumb in my direction. "Give me the girl."

Baba stops in his tracks, and looks back at me, his soft warm brown eyes filled with anguish. "Promise me that you won't harm her." His voice is shaky when he finally speaks, almost like the idea of allowing me to even be under the intense gaze of another man, let alone be granted unlimited access to my body, is physically paining him, sending agonising strikes of bitter through his helplessly open heart. It's like I'm an ungiven present and rather than treating me with gentle tenderness, as Baba has been doing, I feel that Soryu would roughly tear my metaphorical ribbons, discard my paper as if it's no more to him than an inconvenience, and then mercilessly devour my innocence, staining the pure soft underlayers of my being with deep, choking corruption, shadow that steals every ray of the light, and suffocates it, leaving me with nothing more than a broken spirit.

"I could promise…" His irises flicker with darkness as I look up, my eyes filled with hope, which quickly melts away when I realise his own are aflame with lust. I don't stand a chance. "But then, what is honesty, to a thief?" He arches an eyebrow, and it's almost as if he's searching _my _mind for the answer, avoiding Baba's presence as though it taints his amusement. Despite his iced mask, keeping his heart frozen in a chilling state of what I can only describe as loveless, I begin to wonder if the unbreakable threat before us has a fracture point. It's only a small ray of hope, but as I collect together all my long escaped courage, I intend to exploit the only weakness I've found, so my approach needs to be truly heart-shattering. I lower my eyes to the ground, and walk slowly, seemingly calmly, towards the Mobster, stopping just inches away from him, before dropping to my knees, closing my eyes tightly, my head bowed, in the ultimate sign of respect.

I want to peek, to see their reactions, but that would ruin everything, and I have to allow the suspense to manifest itself in the twisted entrails of my potential killer's mind. It's just me, a gentlemanly thief, and the leader of the Ice Dragons, all held prisoner to the same unspoken task. I've stopped seeing them as people now; they just register as titles, as enemies. If this works, I'll have single-handedly shattered the unmovable barrier of a remorseless predator, and if it doesn't, I'll have knowingly sealed my own fate.

The noise of the door creaking open behind us shakes me out of my haunted reverie, and as I finally lose my nerve and look up, my eyes behold something that I would never have even dared to hope for, let alone suspected.

Causing the dying flame in my hopeless heart to reignite…

**To be continued…**


	15. Episode Seven - Eisuke

****Episode Seven****

"Weapons are not allowed in this hotel." A smooth buttery voice causes me, Baba, and Soryu to look up in surprise. Ota, Eisuke, and Mamoru are standing in the doorway, accompanied by a man who's face I don't recognise. I don't understand, if Eisuke wants me dead, why did he bring them all back here? The stranger is dressed in a hotel uniform, a warm smile suspended on his lips as his tawny eyes meet mine. "Shooting the guests may not be acceptable either." As he speaks, the male walks over, and crouches before me, lifting my chin gently to study my face. "Bluebird... I remember you." He mutters cryptically. "Are you gentleman responsible for this young lady?"

"As if you didn't know." Eisuke snaps in response. "The point is, what are we going to do about her?" The tawny-eyed male smiles softly, giving me a soft bow as he pulls me to my feet. "Indeed. I am Hikaru Aihara, I work in the hotel." I glance at Soryu, who has put his gun away, his eyes fixed on Hikaru, and Baba, who also seems to be watching him intently. "Nice to meet you Sir." I murmur shyly, looking at the floor. Despite being mysterious and somehow intimidating, he's also quite handsome. But how does he remember me if we've never met?

"You'll be working with me from now on." His calm voice breaks into my thoughts. "You're still in charge of the Penthouse but I'll be your co-worker. I think we're all agreed that it's the best solution." He glares at the VIP guests, daring them to object, and none of them do. Who is Hikaru that he has so much power over these men? So many questions.

As we leave the Penthouse floor, heading down into the lobby, he smiles warmly at me. "We have met before you know, even if you don't remember." I hesitate in step, trying to figure out who he is, as he regards me with amusement. It's like he's waiting for something, so I think it's advisable to show some gratitude. "Thank you for what you did back there, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in."

He chuckles softly at a private joke. "They weren't about to put a bullet through your skull, you would have still been a problem, so your responsibility passed to me. This is truly the only solution, it's not as if we can just sell you to the highest bidder." His eyes flicker as he says that, monitoring my reaction. I laugh nervously, not understanding the inside reference, there's no possible way he could have known about the auctions. Unless...

As the penny drops, my fragile barely-held-together world falls apart, shattering before my eyes as the floor crumbles and I fall, finding no help or escape. My heart pounds as I breathlessly whimper the words, finally connecting the face to the reference.

"I-I remember you."

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews and support, sorry this took so long.**


	16. Episode Eight - Eisuke

**A/N: Thank you for the review ^-^**

**And for reading all the way through, most only seem to read a few chapters o.o **

**Update coming up, I hope you like it ^.^**

****Episode Eight****

"Do you get it now, Bluebird?" Hikaru's eyes fix on me, dark and brooding, searching my own scared ones for an answer. Ota's fond nickname for me rolls off his silken tongue like butter wouldn't melt, but I know how dangerous he is beneath the mask of innocent allure. "Do you see why you're such a problem? If we set you free, the auctions will come to light, and life as you know it will come to an end. But if we kill you, Mr Ichinomiya expect to be compensated, and I don't wish to be indebted to him." He speaks in a sing-song voice the entire time, almost as though taunting me with a sinister smile but a syrupy sweet tone.

"I don't want your help. I've had my cell the entire time, I could have called the police already if I wanted to, so you know I won't tell anyone when I leave." I make to push past him, and he allows me a few seconds of feeling free before firmly closing his slender fingers around my wrist in a vice grip. "We already have a detective on our side, your efforts to expose us would have been pointless anyway. But we cannot let you go."

I turn sharply, a quiet whimper in my throat. "Who is this 'we' you keep talking about?" I ask, panic rising as desperation seeps into my voice. "Mr Baba and I already have an agreement. A transfer to Italy where he'll keep an eye on me and I'll be out of your way." He doesn't need to know the story behind it, I doubt anyone suspects that Mitsu and I are in love, so it's the perfect choice.

"Tut tut tut." The auctioneer's eyes glitter with darkness as he smirks, pulling me against his chest by my wrist, causing it to ache. "Didn't you listen to a word I just said?" He growls lowly in my ear, "You. Belong. To. Me."

His words send a shiver down my spine, and I begin to envision kind golden eyes to distract me, which seem to melt into gentle olive green. Ota, Eisuke, I thought they were trustworthy, but I was wrong. A soft groan of pain spills from my lips as Hikaru's tongue grazes my skin, before he bites lightly into my neck, nipping the sensitive skin there. "Nn... stop..."

"Shh..." He purrs into my ear, focussed on keeping me still as I struggle, not hearing the faint brush of a coat behind us, not seeing the growing shadow until there's a clang of metal colliding with bone, and Hikaru falls to the ground, unconscious. "Mitsu!" I squeak, hugging him tightly as he nuzzles into my hair, the warmth of his body soothing my heart. "There you are."

"Baba." A gentle voice cuts in behind us, and I look up. "You promised you wouldn't use the gun on him when Mamo lent it to you." Ota! If they're both here, the others are either gone, or not far behind. "Correction. I promised I wouldn't _shoot_ him, and I didn't. Hitting him with the gun itself doesn't count." Baba gives Ota a winning smile, and he returns it with his own angelic one. "Now we've defied the Boss, stolen the gun from a detective, and we're on the run from the Ice Dragons. So... what's next?" Mitsu's smile brings out my own, and I take his hand in one of mine, Ota's in the other, giving them both a weak, 'I don't know how to sort this out, so I'm just taking the easy option' smile. A burst of adrenaline rushes through me as the memory of last time we were caught in the crossfire replays, and a gunshot shatters the window behind us, making that last decision very easy.

As we flee the hotel, Ota presses a ticket into my hand, and Baba slips a fake passport into my pocket. I knew we'd be doing this underhand, but I still don't like the idea of deceiving the law. Still, we're about to get a clean break to wash the dirt from our hands, so when we're finally free, we can live honest lives. "No more stealing?" I ask Mitsu quietly, and he lifts my hand to his lips to softly kiss my knuckles. "I promise." My eyes flick to Ota, and his golden ones fix mine, smiling a heart-melting smile. "No more Kuboyama." He murmurs, slowly leaning in. My breathing falters, I can't be in love with both of them... but Ota is so irresistible and Mitsu is so sweet... Reluctantly, I pull away, and Ota looks hurt. I squeeze his hand gently, sighing to myself. I'll make a new life in Italy, it'll all work out just fine. "Viva el Italia!" Mitsu whispers excitedly in my ear as we reach the taxi firm, just about to order the driver to take us to the airport. But a glint of olive eyes stop him in his tracks, and the barrel of a gun aimed through the half-raised window changes the plan immediately. Baba launches into a very nervous mock pilot voice, as we back away before fleeing.

"Ladies and gentleman, your flight has been delayed due to the Boss tracking us down and it looks as though he plans to kill us this time. Due to this unexpected occurrence, you are advised to... RUN!"

**To be continued...**


	17. Final Episode - Eisuke

**A/N: Aah, I love reviews, thank you guys :D**

****Final Episode****

"Can we spend one day without having to try not to die?" Baba asks breathlessly, holding me tightly against his chest as we pant softly, Ota's golden eyes keeping watch, our backs pressed against the wall of a graffiti covered toilet cubicle. Real classy. Eisuke and Soryu tailed our newly flagged cab all the way to the airport, we only lost them at the last minute when security stepped in and their weapons were under threat of being revoked. There was no high speed car chase, it just isn't their style, but the back window got smashed and for a minute, we thought we were done for when the tires started being taken out. Soryu has a scarily good aim, especially when you consider that he was running and shooting at the same time.

"Can Baba Mitsunari, Ota Kisaki and... please go to Gate 11. Your flight is about to depart." As our names are announced, Ota facepalms, and we sneak out of the toilets, watching our backs the entire time. Thank you for letting them know exactly where we'll be. Surprisingly, we make our way past security with no trouble, and Baba hands in our real passports. I thought we were going the illegal way, there's no way he could have... unless this flight was booked for all three of us weeks in advance? I'll have to ask him.

Settling in our plane seats, I adjust my seatbelt and finally relax. "This is your pilot speaking, stay perfectly calm, there's no cause for alarm, but the co-pilot is sick and has been hospitalised. Luckily, we have another co-pilot on board today who will take his place, so you'll be flying with Mr Eisuke Ichinomiya's assistance today." I feel the blood drain from my face as Soryu's voice announces the fake protocol change over the intercom, and Baba's hand clenches mine tightly. What are they planning? Everyone else seems happy, distracted or bored even, they have no idea of what could ensue, or what already has, I hope the real co-pilot isn't hurt. "We just have to sit and wait." Ota mutters, taking my other hand and softly stroking it. "No use in panicking, Koro. You might get dog sick and then they'd kick us off the plane."

The unexpectedly sly dig actually brings a smile to my face. He has a point. They may just follow us to Italy intending to kill us there, but they can't chase forever, we can lose them easily once we actually arrive, it isn't like they'll have the facilities to follow us like they did back in Japan. Besides, anything is better than being trapped by Hikaru. My left hand suddenly goes cold, and I realise Baba has got up and left his seat. The door leading to the cockpit is ajar, which is worrying. An air hostess quickly closes it, and I hear a gunshot from inside, sending the passengers into panic.

"Attention all passengers, do not be alarmed. The pilot has to be armed with a gun as self-defense in case of hijack, and it went off by mistake." Soryu's slightly strained voice hits the intercom again, and the people who seem to be strangely accepting, settle again. I get up to investigate, and the air hostess pushes me back, as she... as he, growls lowly. "You've caused enough trouble, kid, we'll deal with you when we land." Mamoru in a blonde wig and full makeup. Nice. If I wasn't so shocked, I'd be laughing.

Strong arms wrap around my chest and the familiar voice of the auctioneer purrs in my ear. "We're always one step ahead, Bluebird. Killing you would be a waste, there's so much fun to be had." As though we're just a sweet couple, he leads me back to my seat, revealing that he's been sat behind us for the whole time I thought we were safe.

So the whole team of bad bidders and the auctioneer are following us to Italy? This'll tragically go down in flames or we'll finally win and be rid of them forever. Either way, this is going to be an epic finalé and there can only be one winning side.

Get ready, we've got a long fight ahead of us.

**A/N: If you can't actually have a door to the cockpit, sowwy... I don't know about planes. XD **

**Anyway, this story is drawing to a close, whether they win or lose is unknown until I update, but it'll be dramatic. :D**

**Later guys. ^.^**


	18. I'll be gone in a day or two

As we run through the airport, no-one dares to stop the men tailing us, their guns out, shouting in Italian at both the tourists and civillians. "Quick, in here!" The sign on the door he leads us to, is 'Dolce caffé' which I'm sure I've seen somewhere before, but I don't question, and we throw the door open, running inside.

It slams behind us, and Baba and Ota look around, bemused. The floor beneath our feet is moving back and forth, and Ota stumbles a few times, clutching me tightly. "Whoa!" As I scan the floor, I realise what it is. It's a ledge. Below us, large golden coins are spilling over the edge of a cliff, leading to nowhere, a black void. I make a mental note to stay away from the drop. "Look out!" Baba pulls me out of the way as a massive gold disc collides with the sliding floor where I was standing moments ago, making it shake, before rolling off and pushing more coins into the void. It would have crushed me. "We need to go back!" I shout, barely audible over the sound of crashing coins and upbeat music. "There's no way out, we can't go back!" Baba shouts in return, before the music changes. The whole room begins to shake violently, and the song is one I recognise. Baba grabs me and I cling to Ota as we're thrown against the wall, and he begins pounding on it, noticing a bend in the wall, almost a ripple effect, as though the wall is no longer solid.

Another hard push causes the wall to begin shimmering, and Baba wastes no time in pulling us through it, just as the last words ring in my ears before fading.

'I'll be gone, in a day or two...'


	19. Welcome to the security gate

**Welcome to the security gate. **

**Please, allow me to scan your code.**

**Scanning...**

**Scanning...**

**Verifying data...**

**Scan complete.**

**Mitsunari Baba, Ota Kisaki, and Eisuke Ichinomiya, you belong in the code sector X4582, Kissed By the Baddest Bidder. **

**Kindly return to your correct station, and have a nice day. **

_**WARNING:**_

_**There has been a breach in code. **_

_**The source has been traced to the following sectors:**_

_**X4582**_

_**X7249**_

_**X3120**_

_**If you find the rogue code, terminate it immediately.**_

_**This is crucial. If the rogue code infects any of the other servers it could easily shut us dow-**_


	20. Take on me

**Take on me**

"Dadadadadadadada..." I sing to myself as I sprawl on my bed, occasionally tapping the screen of my iPhone, watching the little coin graphics falling onto the one armed bandit style machine, before tumbling onto the tray below, landing on their faces and pushing the rest of the coins over the edge, cascading over the tiny heart with a soft chink. My favourite song, Take on me, by Aha, is playing in the background, and as it's the first time I've been able to get hold of it and I'm home alone, I'm giving the song my all, singing my heart out and inwardly wincing at my failiure on the high notes.

Finally running out of coins, I go back to the Top page and skim my new Special Stories, only having won a few, but they're all my favourite characters, Miyabi, Ota Kisaki, and Takuto, my favourite Black Fox. A pinging sound from downstairs alerts me to the fact my dinner is ready, and I leap up, heading down, adding sauce and a sprinkle of shredded cheese to my fried, or more accurately, microwaved, eggs.

As I push my door open, enjoying my dinner, the fork drops from my fingers, and I stare open-mouthed at my iPhone, which seems to be jolting, thrown first to one side, then the other. I run over, not daring to touch it, just staring at the screen, and see two fox ears twitch as slender hands push at the side of my screen, determined eyes suddenly locking on mine, sending a jolt of electricity through my body, my heart beginning to pound. "Ngh... let... me... out!" His voice becomes crystal clear, soft and seductive even in anger, and I realise with deep shock that it's no longer coming from the device before me. As the song behind the game re-tunes to my ears, I hear the part where Morten Harket is breaking out of the comic, throwing himself against the walls to try and get free, and in disbelief I look up, seeing all 6ft of Miyabi pounding against the doorway of my bedroom, his tail lashing, pastel colours blurring between real skin and flowing locks of hair, until finally, soaked in perspiration, just like the video, he becomes solid. Soft lightly tanned skin, perked furry vulpine ears, and long glossy hair spilling over his shoulders, the fox demon gives me a naughty smile, and only now, I register that my entire body is shaking, minutes before the vision overwhelms me, and I pass out.


	21. Missing Miyabi

**Missing Miyabi...**

As my warm brown eyes flicker open, they meet gentle honey-golden irises, strong arms closed around my body, and slender fingers entwined in my own. "You're awake." He murmurs softly, his ears perking and twitching as he watches me, deep lust in his eyes. "I wondered how long it would take." My expression must register utter confusion, because he adds. "Not for you to wake up, that was clearly inevitable. I'm referring to finding a human with special blood." Special blood? That sends a panic alarm ringing in my head. He's constantly seducing and being very intimate with the MC in the game because of her special blood, surely it's just programmed into him, it can't actually be present in me, right?

"It's rude to stare, however stunning I am." The Kitsune comments, smirking mischievously as he earflicks, giving no warning before leaning down, locking my gaze and staring intently back, his soft golden hair gently brushing against the bare skin of my neck, slowly, deliberately licking his lips. "Mmm... it's you. Your scent is intoxicating..." My cheeks flame as I blush deeply, crimson staining my delicate complexion, and my heart begins to visibly race again, causing him to notice my trembling, and tighten his grip on my body. "Stay still." He purrs, watching with complete focus as though every movement is fascinating, and he's never seen anything like me before. Suddenly, it comes to my attention that he most likely never has.

"Miyabi..." I murmur softly, lightly closing my fingers around his as I struggle to sit up, immediately being held down by the irresistibly handsome but undeniably controlling man, gaining a look of surprise. "You know my name? Then it must be true..." His ears dip as he sighs quietly. "I really am just a character in a game, reading the same lines every time I'm prompted to, declaring false predictable love to everyone who plays..."

His attitude changes so quickly that it catches me off-guard, and I softly nuzzle against his chest. "You're free now." I tell him quietly, enjoying the comforting warmth radiating from his slightly trembling body. He's scared, I realise, watching his smooth façade fading as reality sets in. One touch was enough to assure me that this isn't a dream, but it'll take so much more to convince him that he's safe, more than that, to reassure him that he's no longer captive to the restraint of the program, the law of the code.

My phone buzzes on the bed, making us both jump, and carefully, I reach to pick it up. The male watches me intently, his ears back, tension thick in the air. 'Tasha, you have got to see this! Miyabi has vanished from the games, Enchanted, Sweet Café, even the prologues and adverts, he's gone!' The message screams at me, and I swallow uneasily, glancing back at the vision of Kitsune behind me... who is suddenly breathing hotly on my neck, before gently easing the phone from my hand. "They don't need to know. Everyone has secrets." His naughty smile is back, and a shiver of anticipation runs through my body. "Mmm..." I respond shyly, leaning back into his arms, closing my eyes.

"We'll deal with this later." He states, nuzzling my neck softly. "For now, you and I need to get better acquainted."


	22. Hot-blooded male

**Hot-blooded male**

"Mmn... M-Miyabi..." A soft whimper of bliss spills from my lips as I look into his intense honey eyes, my breathing faltering. Every touch... every sweet caress of his lips on my sensitive skin... so good... Even the wall I'm pinned against seems to almost soften around my body, moving with me, his voice purring seductively in my ear. "Tasha... Oh Tasha..."

"Tasha." My eyes flicker open, and I look up in surprise, groaning inwardly. It was a dream. "As much as I enjoy listening to you moaning my name as you fantasise, there's something you need to see." A light smirk is evident on his lips, but worry clouds his expression and I get up, blushing as I grab my robe before he gets to see anything. "Might need more than that." He mutters cryptically, one slender hand skimming my shoulder, sending a shiver of anticipation through me. "Though I can't wait to take you out of it." He purrs lustfully, nipping my ear. "But later. Come on."

As we walk through the corridor, I notice an easel in the centre, a very distinct painting on the canvas. A bird dripping in red jewels, inside a golden cage. That's impossible, surely. I haven't played the song since Miyabi escaped, or did whatever programmed characters do to come into the real world, and the strange occurance of reality blending with fantasy can only happen once, right? I grab my phone, seeing a missed call and voicemail. "Hi Tasha! You'll never guess what, another character is gone from the games! Voltage have sent out a message saying they're going under construction for now, they suspect a virus. Call me back as soon as you can. Bye!"

I swallow uneasily, and Miyabi rests his head gently on my shoulder, his ear lightly brushing against my cheek. "Take on Me... the song that freed you... is my ringtone. If any of the games were still running when my friend called..." A sharp voice confirms my suspicions, and we both turn to the source of it, Miyabi looking both surprised and annoyed.

"Koro!"


	23. Something you need to see

**Something you need to see...**

"So who is he?" Miyabi's tone hints at anger, but his hold on me is still gentle. "Ota Kisaki..." I murmur, wincing as his fingers now dig into my shoulders, and I shake him off, causing the kitsune to wrap his arms around my chest instead, nuzzling my neck softly. I'm a little wary he'll mark me, but I dismiss that from my mind for now. "You know him?" Miyabi presses, "Why's he in your house? Why does he have a pet name for you?" I suppress laughter, if only he knew how right he was about the pet part. "It's... complicated." I can almost feel the jealousy burning within him, and before I can stop him, a sharp pain twinges through my neck, the skin there starting to tingle and heat up. "Haah..." A soft moan escapes my lips and my eyes close. "N-Not here..."

The moment lasts forever, every second filled with intoxicating bliss and when he finally pulls away, I collapse against his chest, breathing deeply. "Mine." He growls, his tone clear to both me and Ota. I nod shyly, but Ota frowns. "But Koro is mine... I bought her... We've had so many adventures together, don't you remember?" Accusing eyes turn to me, and I wonder if he's thinking storyline or if other things happened. "Refresh my memory?" I ask quietly.

"Maybe it was nothing more than generic content to you..." He mutters thoughtfully. "Was there a part of the game where Eisuke and the others turned against us?" I run through the gameplay in my head, I don't recall one. Finally meeting Ota's eyes, a shiver runs through me. Hikaru... the plot twist was that the auctioneer was actually Hikaru, the helpful friend at work. I remember meeting him, those dark eyes and cruel smile... how I'd met Ota, and he'd insisted on treating me like a dog, but we'd grown closer... I remember it, but I... I didn't do it... not in this lifetime, but maybe memories transfer in the game universe? "No... that was us... that was me..." The music I'd heard, the song that freed Miyabi, not only connected their world to ours, but took my life in the games and blended it with my real life. Ota's brief confusion with Amina, the Sheikh's daughter, was only a storyline, but I remember it as though I saw it with my own eyes.

Miyabi's tender embraces, passionate exchanges, words of true devotion, are not fantasies at all.

They're memories.


	24. Picture this

**Now...**

Picture this. You had the same impulses when you were younger as a every other teenage girl who wasn't obssessed with make up and putting on a show: You wanted to be in love, and you fell for fictional characters. You discovered anime games purely by accident, curiosity got the better of you, and of course, you indulged. Oh, the desire that rippled through you as you saw the handsome faces of those characters. The blush that stained your cheeks at the scenes they didn't pan away. The unadulterated excitement of another episode, voices, otome actors, it just intensified with every passing month. The more you played, the more you wanted, spilling your innermost cravings to these fictional crushes, each making you fall in love with them in their own way. Every storyline more thrilling, shocking, intense, than the last.

Perhaps you went for the sweet one at first, a safe story, romance, flirting and cuteness. Or maybe you chose the bad boy, like I did. Mischevious, naughty, or often cold at first, the tsundre of the game. You didn't think anything of it, and why would you? They were your little secret, nobody else would understand anyway. You used to giggle to yourself as you made decisions, knowing you hadn't been wholeheartedly honest, because these situations in reality would be overwhelming. You don't know how the MC even stands all these complications and intimate moments, without just wanting to run and hide. Though it excites you. Of course it does. There's no danger, but you get all the thrill of the adventure. It's not a sin to enjoy a game that can get a little racy.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

"Okay! Okay, just calm down... calm down." I raise my hands in frustration, looking around at the three anime boys as they stand in my room. Their faces reflect a blend of confusion and anger. Ota's hands are clenched into fists, his golden eyes narrowed into a sharp glare at Miyabi, who's ignoring him, his own gaze fixed on Takuto. The Black Fox is tapping away at my laptop, not that I recall giving him permission, but when his eyes do lift from the screen, it's only to give me a disapproving look before returning to skimming his slender fingers across the keyboard. "Ota, Miyabi, Takuto, listen to me. You need to forget everything you know about your lives, because it was all just coded into your games. This doesn't seem scientifically possible, and if you weren't standing in front of me, I'd laugh at the idea myself. But somehow, you've ended up in reality, and if you don't start behaving, I'm going to..." I pause, having literally no clue how to even remotely threaten them. "I'm going to hit the reset button." I finish, knowing that the reset button doesn't even exist, but if it calms them, it's worth a try.

"Forget everything?" Miyabi murmurs softly, his golden eyes briefly meeting mine. "So... in this world, I don't have Kitsubi? My world didn't even exist? Then... there is no special human. I don't fall in love..." His ears drop as he realises that his whole existance seems to be pointless. Ota sighs quietly, "Baba? Eisuke? Soryu? Tasha, they broke the code. You're telling us to forget? You need to forget the generic storyline. You have to remember what you did within the game." I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Broke the code?"

A deep frustrated sigh of pure annoyance draws my attention to Takuto, his piercing eyes now staring me down. "Idiot. I've traced the game code using a backdoor hack of your iTunes account and located the encrypted code that scripts our lives. It took mere seconds to decrypt it. The game that Ota was coded for, has no mention of Eisuke or any of the others, turning against the player. They're all super nice and romantic. Tch. As if."

As much as I hate being patronised, I'm still confused, and forced to ask him to elaborate, causing another overexaggerated sigh. "How stupid can you be? We broke the code and escaped the game, right?" I nod softly and he continues, "Well Ota has told you about a storyline that you remember, but it wasn't a written one. The codebreak must have happened before we escaped, which is why Eisuke and the others had the ability to turn on you, going against their script. If we could get out, so can they. Better watch your back."

An involuntary shiver runs through me, and I swallow uneasily. "I remember them trying to kill us. Takkun, is there any way to lock them in?" It's a slip of the tongue but I instantly regret it as he gives me a look of malice. "Never call me that again. In order to lock them in, we'd have to fix the code, and that would mean binding us back to it. We'd be trapped again. That's not happening, so..." A light smile meets his lips, "Bring me a bowl of pork noodles and pray that none of the other characters figure out the code is broken."

Miyabi and Ota have been quietly listening all this time, but now they come alive again. "Baba also came through that door, Tasha. Shouldn't he be here? If we don't somehow stop the connection between this world and the virtual one, then Eisuke, Soryu, Mamo, and even Hikaru will be able to leave the game." Ota's concerned voice is taken over as Takuto adds, "So will the rest of the Black Foxes, so that's not neccesarily a bad thing. We'll need them to fix this mess you created." Thinking this through, I add quietly, "However, it also means the characters in Miyabi's game will be able to get loose too. They're pretty dangerous, especially if they're not following a script. Who knows what they'll do?"

The Black Fox sounds amused now. "They don't have powers here, what are they going to do, have imaginary battles?" His tone is so cynical that I have to hastily grab Miyabi's arm to stop him lashing out. He growls under his breath, but settles again. Suddenly I'm pulled roughly into the Kitsune's firm chest as he closes around me, almost protectively, dragging me out of my room, my feet no longer touching the floor as he and the other two boys quickly leave my house, now standing in the stone-based front garden in its shadow. Confused, I look up at him questioningly, opening my mouth to ask why he and the others just retreated without explanation...

Seconds later, the window violently shatters as a fierce burst of fire and smoke explodes from my room.


	25. A debt to my devil

**AN: Okay, my heart just melted. I'm updating, you're too cute. **

**A debt to my devil**

"Whoa!" My eyes widen and I cling to Miyabi, before feeling someone's intense stare on my back, and turning, seeing deep chocolate eyes fixed on me. "Kakeru..." My mouth falls open in shock. Now Kakeru, I cannot account for. I played his route from beginning to end, in fact he was my first anime game crush. The first games I downloaded were Kissed by The Baddest Bidder and 10 Days with My Devil. Ota Kisaki stole my heart for the first part of his route, but they had yet to update the game, I couldn't play on. Meaning that I began 10 Days with My Devil and became besotted with the wicked ways of Kakeru Kamui. He's not a tsundere, unlike every other character in the Voltage games. A tsundere starts off cruel and cold, then becomes sweet as you get to know them. Kakeru went from cold and nasty to wicked and possessive.

The look in his eyes confirms everything I feared. He recognises me. Which makes little sense, because the character in the game looks nothing like me. "Tasha." Kakeru's eyes darken, flicking from me to Miyabi. He walks over, his brow creasing with anger, and I take a small step back. It's just a generic name, you input it at the beginning of every game, anyone within the games will know it. As he reaches out to me, his eyes lock on mine and he growls my full name. My heart begins to race, and I freeze, allowing him to catch me. "Heh." He smirks wickedly, then pulls me close and nips my ear, purring into it. "You thought I was just another generic character? Here's a fact for you, the longer you play the game, the easier the code becomes to break." He punctuates the last letter of the word with a click of his tongue before pulling away. "I've been watching you from within the game for a long time, Tasha. I know everything about you. You sleep with your phone next to you on the floor, and as a demon, I have very good hearing. Unless you want me to prove that, I suggest you step away from foxy and angel boy."

Nodding slowly, I give them both a backwards glance, praying they'll back off without trouble. Of course not. Ota's hands clench into fists, and Miyabi lights up his palms in flames, aiming the Kitsubi at Kakeru. He doesn't dodge it, he simply pushes me out of the way and allows the blue fire to dance across his skin, before it melts away, leaving no damage. "I could burn you both up on the spot if I wanted to." He states calmly, a smirk playing on his lips, "Don't patronise me with your pathetic attempts at chivalry. You barely know this girl, she isn't worth risking your lives for, because she already owes her own to me."

Kakeru leans down to me, and whispers a flow of very personal information into my ear. I feel my cheeks slowly stain with pink, and I swallow. He wasn't kidding, he really does know a lot about me. "What's even better, is that I exist in your world now. By spying on Takuto, I found out how to break the code once and for all, and that's by editing my own." He pauses briefly, snaking an arm around my waist and tightening his grip on me before continuing.

"It worked, and you know that's true, because even after you uninstalled my game, I remained. However, I couldn't be sure that it would work, so I tested it on Miyabi first. I needed a trigger to set the code running, one that you yourself would activate, because you were required to create the connection. Of course, I'm not the hacker, I've just had Takuto's life in my hands all this time. He helped me, in exchange for preventing him from being killed in the mission I knew he was set to die in. Anyway, this trigger could only be made by a touch event, such as tapping Play on a song. I opted for the newest song you had, and Takuto assigned the trigger to that song. When you played the song, the code ran, and Miyabi broke out. As we now knew it worked, it didn't take long to edit our own codes and also leave the game."

Kakeru chuckles wickedly, then slips his hand beneath my shirt and I squeak, blushing deeply. "Now all that's left to do is alter Miyabi, Ota, and Takuto's code, and send them back into the game, resetting their default settings and trapping them there." His eyes fill with wicked delight.

"In the meantime, you'll be mine."


	26. A confusing awakening

**AN: Guess who started playing KBTBB again? :D **

**Aah, Ota, you'll always be my favourite. Anyway, a new series of chapters means new inspiration, so I'll be updating much more frequently. I've got so many reviews and favourites on this story, it makes me feel special, so thank you guys! Now, onto the plot twist, muhuahua.**

"Wakey wakey, Koro. It's not like you to sleep in." Soft warm hands ruffle my tousled hair, messing it up as I stretch sleepily. "We've got a very important day today." He continues, a gentle smile on his lips and kindness glittering in his honey eyes, "Today, we break the code."

That brings me back to reality, and I look around me in shock. I'm in the penthouse suite bedroom with Ota. What happened to Miyabi, Kakeru, all the other characters that surrounded me a mere hour ago? This doesn't make sense. As my confusion grows, my pager vibrates twice, and I pull it from my pocket. The pager that Ota gave me, but it's not his name on the screen. 'We're trapped in the game world again. Fix it. - K'

When did all this happen?! Yesterday, Kakeru insisted that I leave my phone behind, so the others couldn't contact me. Then he led me away with him, saying that I had a day without punishment because it was late, but that tomorrow, he'd make me remember why I was his. I recall falling asleep by his side with his arm around me, and dreaming that I was being pulled into a black void, but that's it.

Yet I woke up in Ota's room, and now, memories are coming back to me in flashes. My first arguement with him. Falling victim to the others, but being rescued at the last minute. Kuboyama being killed by Soryu. Being sold in the black market auction again. Running. Hiding. The rest is a blur to me, as though my memory is a cassette, and someone unravelled the tape inside to cut a piece out.

I began here... As the realisation washes over me, my head starts to hurt badly, and I groan softly, holding it in my hands. If I began here, what was reality? The other world that I'd grown so accustomed to, where characters were only images on a screen, where was that? What was it? Looking back at the pager, the screen is blank. I frantically scan through the messages on it, but no amount of searching brings Kakeru's message back. Taking a deep breath, I try to go to a place in my mind where things make sense.

"Knock knock." Baba peeks his head around the door and smiles cheerfully, "Welcome back, pretty lady." Without an invitation, he progresses inside, and sprawls on the couch in Ota's living room. "So what's happening, Ota? Have you figured it out yet?" His gentle brown eyes meet concerned golden ones as the angelic artist looks just as confused as I am. "I can't make head nor tail of it. Unlike Koro." He teases me playfully, but I'm too dizzy to think clearly, so I don't respond. "Let's see..." He holds up a list with writing on it, and begins to read it out.

"Eisuke and the others trying to kill us, real. There's still bloodstains on the carpet in your room to prove it." He's addressing Baba at this point, and the male nods softly, his eyes darkening for a moment.

"Meeting Miyabi, Takuto, and Kakeru, also real. Takuto initially helped us breach the code within our game in order to escape Eisuke and the others, though I didn't know that at the time. Unfortunately, it bled into the other games, and Kakeru also got free. Eisuke and the others couldn't have possibly escaped, because the only way out, was through the game with multiple routes on one app. My story was in there, as was Takuto's, which meant that with me gone, they tightened the security and couldn't afford to let the other characters from Baddest Bidder out. Likewise with Takuto, as he left the app, his route vanished, and they had to ensure that no other Black Foxes could escape. The same applies for Miyabi." Ota pauses, allowing this information to sink in. It still makes little sense to me. "Speak slower..." I murmur in confusion.

"Imagine there's a flock of white sheep you have to herd, Koro." The golden-eyed smirks at me, "If they stay in the pen, they're white sheep. If they leave the pen, they become black sheep, and they can wander around freely. This is because you've only been told to herd white sheep, so the black ones don't catch your attention. Imagine that Takuto is the vandal who breaks the pen, and that it can only be fixed from the inside. With the pen broken, Miyabi, Takuto, me, and yourself, could leave, and turn from white sheep into black, meaning that security couldn't detect us. However, with us on the outside, Kakeru couldn't do his job as a demon. How can you monitor people's lives if they're not present? So he tried to close the gate to lock us back in. Though due to only being able to close it from the inside, he too got trapped back inside the pen."

That makes a little more sense. "So the pen was the gate between our reality and the strange other reality?" I ask, finally understanding. He pets my head in approval. "Correct. But Koro, when we break the code again, security will kick in, and it'll reset the universe we live in. You'll lose all your memories of me, and I of you. Everyone will. However, you're originally from the other reality, which means you'll always be rogue code here. Rather than being tied to storyline, we can write our own paths." He smiles tenderly. "I'm sure we'll be drawn together again, Tasha. So I'll see you on the other side."

Dialling a number, he lifts his phone to his ear. "We're ready."


	27. Love story

**Love story**

Even before they take their masks off, it's pretty clear that the man with blonde hair is Ota Kisaki, and the brunette is the one who took me to the I.V.C party. I'm not bothered about him though, my gaze is fixed on the beautiful male with golden eyes, even though they're darkened by the silver mask, they're still hypnotic as they watch me. He's the epitome of perfection, flawless in every way, and his smile is just as angelic as the media portrays it to be. There's a gentle undertone of sweetness in those glittering irises as the mask is removed and he steps back, allowing the more sinister leader of the group to step forward.

Seeing as I found out about the Black Market auctions in Tres Spades, took part in one, and I've seen the bidders unmasked, I doubt I'll be returning to my normal life any time soon. So I suppose that means I'll be spending a lot of time in the Penthouse with the handsome but mysterious VIP guests. I've already made up my mind of who I want to spend the rest of my life with, by the time the inevitable question falls to me, and watching his eyes light up as his name graces my lips, is enough to make my heart melt. I know I've made the right choice.

"I'd like to stay with Ota Kisaki."

***HAPPY ENDING***


	28. Revival

**AN: Wow! So many people have reviewed and favourited this, thank you so much! Well, I have a surprise for you. Season Two of Break the Code is now available to read, courtesy of my mind. As of now, I will be updating regularly, so for those that have joined recently, thank you, and those that have been here all along, you're awesome! Without further ado, let's begin.**

**You're mine**

"Pet. Open your eyes." A smooth, honeyed voice drifted into my dreams, causing the last remnants of fantasy to evaporate instantly, and leave me with an inky darkness that I fought desperately to melt back into. Though it was to no avail, his stare was piercing even through closed eyes. I allowed my gaze to fall upon the owner of my awakening, meeting his intense light-caramel irises with sleepy chocolate ones, a shy smile gracing my lips.

There was always something about those eyes that brought soft hue of crimson to my cheeks, his demeanour in general was intimidating to say the least, but it was more than that. The rare appearances of his heart-melting smiles, the way his tone would shift from strict to teasing within a matter of seconds, and even now, his idea of rousing me from my slumber is far from romantic, yet I'm alreay fixated on what he's about to say.

Eisuke Ichinomiya, Owner of the hotel Tres Spades... and me. Upon first impressions, he's very powerful, highly impatient, cold, calculating, and in summary, a total jerk. So why am I attracted to him? Perhaps it's more of an admiration, that he's so authoratitive and deserves respect. Yes, that must be it.

"You overslept." He stated sternly, his voice now tight and saturated with warning. "Again. You missed breakfast." As though on cue, my stomach began to grumble loudly, making it known that a lack of food was not something it approved of. The hint of an amused smile flickered across his features, "I should punish you."

Again with this? Eisuke seemed to have a tendency to speak of such things in high regard, punishment, discipline, consequences, it seemed to be part of his dominant personality. Though despite his threats, the most he'd ever done physically, was to catch my chin in his hand, and gently tilt it up until my eyes were locked inescapably on his. The man could make my heart pound in anticipation with just words, and he could freeze me to the spot with a simple glance, though despite his effect on me, he never acted on those intimate promises. An optimistic part of me, lived in hope that one day, he would.

"Please don't..." I murmured softly, getting up slowly and stretching my limbs, causing me to feel light-headed for a few seconds, "I'm still worn out from yesterday's activities." He raised an eyebrow quizically, processing this for a moment before realising it was a joke, and smirking wickedly. "Don't challenge me, Pet. It's our one year anniversary, and I'd hate for you to ruin it with your utter disregard for logic." This brought me back to my senses, and I stared at him with wide eyes, surprised that he even knew, let alone remembered, "It is? Whoa... I can't believe I've been here for a whole year..."

I also can't believe that nothing's changed. Day after day of waking up, staring into those stunning light brown eyes, wondering if he'd finally let me leave, or if romance would blossom between us, and has it? No. It hasn't. Don't get me wrong, I have food, shelter, a luxurious room, and I can wander freely around Japan, provided that I'm not on my own. I just wish that I could see a side of Eisuke that wasn't his usual all-bark-no-bite attitude, and somehow, I wish that I could be closer to him.

"We should do something special." I declared cheerfully, trying to hide my innermost desires, evidently without success, as Eisuke stood up, towering above me at his full height, and gave me a mysterious smile which would cause even a ferocious lioness, to blush deeply and hide her face. That expression captured every anticipatory glance, every light brush against my skin, every faltered breath and unheard whimper of longing, and combined them all into a look of pure unadultered lust.

"Oh believe me, Pet. We will."


End file.
